Immaturity
by dragonrush
Summary: Is there more to him than that? [Suicune/Raikou friendship]


**_Immaturity [Suicune/Raikou friendship]_**

 ** _Is there more to him than that?_**

Suicune sighed irritably as she raced along the uneven forest ground. The day was stunning - the sun gazed down on the Johto region, a light breeze lazily drifting through the forest. Nearby was a lake, the surface of the water glistening and sparkling in the sunlight. She should be perfectly satisfied, basking in the light. So why was she angry? Because of the electric tiger called Raikou.

In a sense, her dislike of her trio counterpart was expected - she was a water type; calm, cool and collected. He was an electric type; loud, boisterous and immature. He was everything she wasn't. And more importantly, Raikou was a prankster at heart. He simply adored setting little traps in the Hall of Origin before meetings and then laughing merrily when fellow legendaries got caught in them. Just recently, Suicune herself had fallen prey to one of his minor pranks, a bucket of pink paint splattering all over her blue, sleek and streamlined body. In front of a crowd of _all_ the legendaries. She was _furious._ And that was why she was tirelessly bounding across Johto, seeking out the place where Suicune was certain she would encounter her annoyance of a counterpart; the Bell Tower. That was where they all - Raikou, Suicune and Entei - loved to stay, but Raikou had a special fondness for the Ecruteak building, often staying in his rooms for days at a time, only coming out for meals and the meetings that Arceus occasionally called in the Hall of Origins. Planning his next devious prank, for sure.

Skidding to a stop outside the door, she firmly nudged it open and prowled inside, heading straight upstairs and into the room Raikou favoured. Messily scribbled writings lined the electric yellow walls, and many photo albums were lined up on shelves. Suicune felt her inner irritation grow when she saw a photo of herself, splattered with paint, framed on the wall, like it was his proudest prank. Oh, he was _so_ in for it now.

The thunder beast himself was carefully examining a yellowed piece of paper, illegible scrawls making up the majority of it. He looked up when she entered the room, eyebrows raising.

"Hey, Suicune!" he exclaimed cheerfully, seemingly oblivious to her anger.

"Raikou." she said curtly, nodding her head to him.

"So, what brings you here?" his tone was casual, an easy grin on his face as he leaned against the wall.

"I want answers. Now." For a second, she swore she saw his grin falter slightly, but then it was back at full force.

"Shoot me. Not literally, of course." He smirked. Suicune frowned. _What did she want to ask?_

"... why do you act like you do? All... joking and all?" She inquired out of curiosity. This time, his grin fell for sure, his mouth morphing into a contemplative, thoughtful look. His eyes glazed over.

"I wasn't always like this, you know." he started, and she nodded.

Before his attitude changed, Raikou had been quite similar to her - quiet and calm. He did his duty without question and objection. They hadn't talked much - Raikou hadn't been much of a talker - but Suicune had admired his sense of loyalty and obligation. Then something happened; something that changed him forever, turned his personality around completely. Gone was the silent, steady thunder tiger; a lively, loud jokester legendary replaced him.

"Yeah, I know. You used to be like me, all quiet and all. Then something happened." she said, looking into his soft amber eyes.

"Correct, as always." Instead of saying that in a teasing tone, he spoke in a slightly sullen one. Suicune's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Raikou was never sullen - he was always cheerful happy, 24/7.

"Well, no one knew this, but... back then, I sort of... liked Cresselia." He admitted quietly, answering her unspoken question. Suicune stumbled backwards in shock, her mind reeling.

 _"C-Cresselia?!"_ she stuttered, surprised. He nodded slightly.

"And then..." he trailed off.

"... she got together with Darkrai." Suicune finished softly. All irritation had vanished from her mind upon Raikou's revelation.

"I sort of just thought that, if I kinda pushed everyone away... I wouldn't get hurt like that again." he mumbled, shifting his body awkwardly. Suicune could see small tears in his eyes as he looked at the floor. Moving closer to her counterpart, she nuzzled his cheek lightly.

"I understand. Don't worry." Suicune said quietly, laying down next to him. A lone tear slid down his face and, embarrassed, he covered his face with his paws. His shoulders shook slightly as he attempted to keep the tears in.

"It's okay to cry, Raikou. It's just me." she reassured him softly. Raikou buried his face into her thick, flowing purple mane and let the tears fall.

Outside, as if sensing Raikou's sorrow, rain began falling, pattering against the roof of the tower.

And, as Raikou let out years of inner heartbreak, Suicune smiled lightly.

 _Maybe there's more to him than I initially thought..._

 ** _{moral of the story: don't judge a book by it's cover}_**

* * *

 _ **This is probably the best thing I've ever written in my entire life.**_

 _ **To me, Raikou is really a deep character - how I imagine him is how he acted in this piece, on the outside a carefree prankster with a darker past. Events like Raikou's heartbreak can and will change a person, sometimes completely like it did to him. It's the sad but real truth. His crush on Cresselia (who I headcanon with Darkrai, dreamshipping forever) wasn't just a petty schoolkid crush, it was a full blown love that was completely shattered when she and Darkrai got together. After that happened, he was crushed and ultimately decided that, to ensure he didn't get hurt again, he would hide behind a fake mask of joy, discreetly pushing everyone away.**_

 _ **Suicune is a bit more straightforward - she's a loyal, hard-working legendary who is usually calm and collected. But anyone would be furious if they got dunked in pink paint. She doesn't hate Raikou, she just finds him immature and annoying. I might write a backstory for her later, if I get a plot bunny.**_

 _ **Anyway, have a great day/night everyone!**_

 _ **dragonrush**_

* * *

 _"I sort of just thought that, if I kinda pushed everyone away... I wouldn't get hurt like that again." - Raikou_


End file.
